2018 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 17

Week 17 can be a crap shoot. Teams rest some of their stars and there’s always one ‘out of nowhere’ performance by a backup that can sway a championship game. 

Many leagues had their championship in Week 16, but needing a strong showing Week 17 just makes a league more interesting. A team can make a huge comeback from a poor score in the first week of the championship.

Should you automatically bench a guy whose team has nothing left to play for?

Did you make it to your championship game or are you just battling for a bronze medal this week?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 17 of the 2018 NFL season…and enjoy our awesome MS Paint masterpiece of QB Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I want to explain what I mean by “sit” and “start.” Of course you are going to start some of the guys i say to bench this week, because you probably used high draft picks or a lot of money in an auction for them. My ‘sit’ players are guys I am just not completely sold that they will have good weeks. If you have a guy that you are on the fence about, maybe this will help you pick between the players.

START’EM

  • QB Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) – Big Ben needs a win versus the Bengals and a tie between the Colts and Titans to make the playoffs. He will need to give a full effort and will not be benched or be a healthy scratch like some stars this weekend.
  • WR Julian Edelman (New England Patriots) – The Patriots need a win to secure their first-week bye in the postseason. Edelman was a star last week at the Bills and will be Brady’s go-to receiver this week against the Jets.
  • RB C.J. Anderson (Los Angeles Rams) – It appears that the Rams may rest RB Todd Gurley for a second week in a row. It’s still up in the air, but there’s no doubt Anderson will play a lot this week. He had a good performance last week and should fare well against the Niners.
  • QB Tom Brady (New England Patriots) – When your fantasy championship is at stake, dance with the girl that you brought. This is a must-win game for Brady and he will have every opportunity to light up the scoreboard.
  • Baltimore Ravens Defense & Special Teams – The Ravens could make Browns rookie QB Baker Mayfield look like a rookie. They have one of the best pass defenses in the NFL and will be tough for Mayfield to digest.
  • RB Damien Williams (Kansas City Chiefs) – The Chiefs need to win to avoid possibly getting leapfrogged by New England for home-field advantage in the AFC. He’s been very productive since RB Kareem Hunt’s release. He should have another solid performance against the Raiders.
  • WR Alshon Jeffery (Philadelphia Eagles) – Eagles QB Nick Foles is looking for Jeffery a lot since taking over as starter while QB Carson Wentz is nursing a back injury. Philly needs a win and a Minnesota loss to make it to the playoffs. Jeffery will be key in doing their part of the scenario.
  • TE Eric Ebron (Indianapolis Colts) – When Colts QB Andrew Luck is in a pickle, he looks for his tight ends. Ebron is by far the most talented healthy tight end. Ebron should be a solid PPR fantasy tight end this week.
  • TE Jared Cook (Oakland Raiders) – The Raiders don’t have many receiving targets to take advantage of a beatable Chiefs defense. Cook is QB Derek Carr’s only above-average talent to catch his passes. 
  • New Orleans Saints Defense & Special Teams – The Saints are locked into the #1 spot in the NFC and will try to milk the clock on offense. All they want is to come out of this game with all their guys healthy. The Panthers won’t have a ton of time with the ball. They Saints should be a safe defense to start in Week 17.
  • WR Robert Foster (Buffalo Bills) – If you need a deeper league start at WR, Foster could be worth a start. Bills QB Josh Allen has had a rough rookie season, but he hasn’t been horrible the last few weeks. He has a big arm and could go deep a few times and hit Foster on one or more of those attempts.
  • RB Chris Carson (Seattle Seahawks) – The Seahawks are already locked into a Wild Card spot, but will need a win to secure the #5 seed. They could slip to #6 with a loss and a Vikings win. The Seahawks have had a robust running game since about the middle of the season. Carson should have a really nice fantasy output against the lowly Cardinals.

SIT’EM

  • WR Allen Robinson (Chicago Bears) – I’ve listed Robinson in this section many times this year. The Bears offense just isn’t going through him. They are using a lot of short passes and a running back-driven offense. I don’t see Robinson have a very good week against a very good Vikings pass defense. 
  • RB Marlon Mack (Indianapolis Colts) – If the Colts plan on beating the Titans, they will need to rely heavily on QB Andrew Luck. The Titans defense has only allowed six touchdowns against opposing running backs…six! Mack is just too risky of a start this week.
  • QB Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns) – I mentioned Mayfield above when I listed the Ravens defense as a must-start. Baltimore has an elite defense and I just don’t see him doing well in the final week of his rookie season.
  • RB Josh Adams (Philadelphia Eagles) – Adams’ role in the Eagles offense has diminished since running backs Wendell Smallwood and Darren Sproles returned from injuries. He will get a share of the carries, but is only an option on first and second downs.
  • WR Jarvis Landry (Cleveland Browns) – This Sit’em section is Browns heavy. Landry’s fantasy stock relies on Mayfield’s performance. The Ravens pass defense is just too damn good.
  • TE Jimmy Graham (Green Bay Packers) – I will keep putting Graham in this section until he has a good fantasy output. I don’t understand why so many people are hanging onto him. He faces the Lions in a ‘nothing game’ and Rodgers is just hoping to get out of this season with his health.
  • Jacksonville Jaguars Defense & Special Teams – The Jaguars packed it in at the halfway point of the season. There’s no need to go full-speed against a good Texans offense. They quit on their coaches.
  • QB Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) – The Cowboys are already locked into the #4 seed in the NFC. My guess is that Prescott will play a few drives and take a seat. 
  • RB Kenyan Drake (Miami Dolphins) – I doubt the Dolphins will bring Drake back in 2019. RB Kalen Ballage has been good the last few weeks. Drake may get mop-up duty, but this game will belong to RB Frank Gore, who will most likely be playing his final game of his career.
Email me at BobbyMcRib@gmail.com if you have a specific fantasy football question.

 

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sweetbob-author-picAbout the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.